I finally got my pictures together to show you what I meant about using the Hennessy Hammock in the desert. I tied the webbing around the front brake of the bicycle, and then wrapped the hammock line around the seat and guyed it to a peg. The bicycle was as stable as a fencepost, and the low profile tended to keep the whole thing out of the wind. It was a bit tricky getting into it because the opening is low and under the fly, but it had a decent amount of space inside. You could sit up if you didn't mind pushing against the ceiling a bit.

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Bicycle as Post
 

That's the cleverest use of a stationary bike I've ever seen - yet I wouldn't want to climb into that sack. When you emerge in the morning, are you a butterfly?

Impressive.

Water?
 

Lots of good input here and especially many comments about water. As someone who has often backpacked and ridden in arid areas, it has always been obvious to me that we occasionally confuse thirst with nutritional needs. If water is scarce and you don't want to waste it, drink a moderate amount, but before you chug the whole bottle, think about when you last ate. We often made a concoction called a "gordita" in South American desert areas. Mix a half cup of raw oatmeal, no difference between instant and regular, with an appropriate amount of water to make a slushy (no heat necessary), add a tablespoon or so of sugar and a bit of Koolaid powder (you get to choose the flavor). Its like a tepid milkshake, but it meets your sugar needs which may actually keep you from drinking more water than you needed. This is not a replacement for water, but instead a way to meet your body's need for an energy boost that you may be confusing with thirst. Try it on the road when you a beat, its not as good sitting in your living room.
A head wrap under your helmit is also a good evaporative cooler. Don't go without the helmit, after all the styrofoam is an insulator.
And for when you have a bit of water to spare, don't be afraid to take that juice bottle, poke a nail hole in it which is then plugged with a match stick. Hang it in a tree and take a shower in 1 quart of water, pubs, hair, and all the rest. We all waste to much water at home but on the road you can shower with a quick wash and rinse and it improves your outlook tremendously. Tom

I've done a fair bit of desert cycling. And it gets rather hot here in Australia anyway. Here are some suggestions.

1. Aerodynamics. Deserts can be very windy.
2. Wine bags. Not sure if you have them in your country, but in NZ and Oz we have plastic wine bags, for cheap super market wine. They hold 4L, weigh nothing, squash into a small space, and the tap part is removable, so easy to fill.
3. Full coverage of face. Either arab style with a towel, or with something more like a motor cycle visor. See comment 1. Failure to do this can result in horribly split lips, and you loose lots of moisture from your mouth also.
4. Full coverage of body. Long sleeves. I also have a sun shade built onto my recumbent.
5. Shade. It helps if the bike has a stand, and can quickly form a sun shade, if you need to stop and rest/eat/fix a tyre.
6. Lights. If you want to ride at night fast, they will need to be really really powerful.
7. Culverts. Not sure about the USA, but in China most desert roads have convenient holes right under the road every km or so. You can crawl into them and shelter from the sun through the hottest part of the day. They are much cooler than the outside air.

All the best
Olly
http://ollypowell.wordpress.com/

One thing I've noticed, reading over this thread, is that most people have advice for dealing with the heat. It's mostly good advice, but my first question for the OP is what time of year are you planning on touring? It's not always hot in the southwestern US deserts, there's many months of cooler weather. I used to tour around out in the high desert of southern Ca. between Oct. and April, and one of the biggest issues was the temperature swings. It would be 70 degrees during the day, and 20 degrees over night.

Hi

I did not read all of the post. Some advise:

- take a tropical hat that your whole head is in the shadow
- make your cloths / headwear wet whereever it is possible
- drink as much as you can (but 70°C warm water does not taste) - put tea bags in your water
- eat also
- don't be shy: use every possibility to drink, eg. ask car driver for water/drinks
- Camelbaks works well - the water will be a long time fresh (but I have only experience to temperatures 37-40°C in the shadow)
- If the night temperatures are greater than 37°C - go in hotel with A/C or give up (you'll be permantly in fever this works only 1 or 2 days)

I cycled several times through deserts Egypt, Oman, Namibia. In Oman I had temperatures about 40°C (in the shadow) that was fine for me in Namibia I had 53°C daytime and 38° before sunrise - this made me sick. Regarding quantity of water I say nothing because in Oman 3 liters per day was for me sufficient in Egypt (Winter) I consumed only 1 liter per day.

Thomas